Must Regain It
by LuFabbro
Summary: Must Stop Them's sequel. Alice is powerless now. She have to get it back with Tom's help.But a new friendship is about to form and it will bring even more consequences than she thought.
1. Prologue  Powerless

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. R&R :)_

**Prologue – Powerless**

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was getting pale even faster. Without my power, my body started to get weak, ugly, and useless and as days passed I got worse. Tom was worried about me, but how could he not be? I looked like someone that was about to die. He tried to hide that he was watching me, but I had already caught him doing it, staring at me and at what I was doing, like he was waiting for me to drop dead. I was trying to avoid his questions, he could feel that something was wrong, but he didn't know I was powerless. I was ill and I knew it. That was the way that Fiend found to torture me after he was destroyed. When I found out about my situation, I spent a lot of time thinking about it. Then, I finally got to the conclusion that Fiend wouldn't like it if I just died, he wanted me to suffer.

It had been 2 weeks since we went back to Chipenden. We stayed a few more days at Anglezarke and I asked Meg not to tell anyone about my condition. Until that moment, nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but dark creatures around the County wouldn't let things to stay calm and peaceful. Soon enough there would be something big for us to face. Stefan was too quiet or he was just adapting to his new life.

Tom was out, working, as usual and he was only getting back a little before the sunset. I just had lunch and I was supposed to get the week's provisions. I looked at the mirror once again and my reflection was the same. I tried to gather all my confidence and left the house.

At the village, people would just stare at me in an ordinary day, but now that I looked horrible, they just avoided me and my path. I wasn't saying they were wrong, but the way they acted towards me just made me feel even worse. I went to the butcher's, to the greengrocer's and finally to the baker's. On my way back, I heard someone calling me, but I assumed it was just an illusion. No one in Chipenden would call me in the middle of the street. I continued to walk, but I was stopped by someone's hand on my shoulder.

"Alice!" the voice called again and I turned around.

"Mary," I said faking a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"You look terrible. What happened to you?" she replied.

"Nothing. I'm just not feeling okay. It's probably the flu, but nothing to worry about," I said trying to get away from her as fast as possible. "Well, it was nice to see you again, but I have to get going. Bye."

"Wait," she stopped me again from leaving. "Come with me. I'm living with my aunt. She's a witch. Maybe she can make you a potion."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it, but Tom is about to get home. I have to make us dinner," I tried to get away from her again.

"Don't worry about that. It's not even five o'clock, so I guess Tom won't mind waiting for a few minutes to eat," Mary said grabbing my arm and leading me to the opposite way I should go.

I was tired and too weak to oppose to anything, so I just let her drag me with her. We passed the village and walked almost a mile to get to her aunt's house. It was a modest house, only two floors high and pretty simple from the outside. We were about to enter, when a boy stormed out of the house. He was a bit younger than me and he looked a little like Mary. He looked at us for a second, just about to say something, but he just shook his head and walked away.

"That's my cousin, Jordan. He's kind of a rebel, but it's just a mask. He is pretty cool," Mary said walking into the house and I followed her.

Inside, the house was very cozy and seemed comfortable.

"Jordan?" a feminine voice called from one of the opened doors. "Is that you?"

"It's me, Aunt Lorena. I brought a friend," Mary answered. "Sit, Alice. Make yourself at home."

I sat down and put the provision's sack by my side. Mary sat next to me and her aunt finally showed up.

"Hello! I'm sorry for my clothes, but I wasn't expecting guests," Mary's aunt, Lorena, said. She was a tall and skinny woman. Her hair was black and she had sparkling blue eyes. She was about forty or a little more and her smile was warm. She seemed a nice woman. "However, someone has to clean the house, right?"

"Hi, I'm Alice and don't worry about your clothes. I wasn't expecting to come here either, Mrs." I said smiling.

"Call me Lorena, please. I don't like formalities," she answered and turned to her niece. "Have you seen Jordan, Mary?"

"He just left."

"That boy can't get away from trouble. I hope he hasn't gone see that girl from the village," she rolled her eyes with a serious expression, but then she smiled and turned to me again. "So, do you want some tea? You look a little pale. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine and thank you for the tea, but I really have to go," I said getting up. "It was nice to meet you, Lorena."

"It was nice to meet you too. You're welcomed at any time here. Mary's friends are my friends," she said and left the room.

I got the provision's sack and Mary went with me to the door.

"I know you are busy, but there is something I need to talk to you. Can you come by tomorrow?" Mary asked.

"I don't know. What is it about?" I asked curiously.

"I would talk to Tom first, but I don't think he is in condition to handle it. It's about his brother. If you come tomorrow, I can tell you more details."

"I'll try to come, okay?" I said suspiciously.

Mary nodded and I headed back home. I spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what Mary had to say about Jason. I tried to clear my head by doing other things, but I just couldn't concentrate in anything. Finally, dinner time came and as it was Sunday, it was up to me make dinner, so I waited two hours for Tom to come home. He knew how much I hated to eat alone, especially if he had promised me he would be home early. I ate alone and decided to wait for him in the living room. I furious at him, he should be home at that time, but I didn't know why I was so mad at him. It didn't even make sense because I knew his job was like that. Maybe it was hormones, or just my powerless body giving me trouble as usual. When he finally got home, I stood in front of him and crossed my arms

"Where were you?" I asked angrily.

"Good evening for you too," he tried to come closer to me and I stepped back. "Come on, Alice, I was working and you knew that. Why are you acting like that? Are you feeling okay?"

"You really want to why?" I shouted at him with no reason. "I hate waiting for you to eat! You know that. You promised to be home before the sunset. I hope you like cold food because that's how everything I cooked is right now!" I went to my room furiously and left Tom very confused in the living room.

I didn't know why I had acted like that. All I knew was that I was mad at him with no reason and I was going to apologize the next morning. I wasn't in mood for that, but I was feeling bad as well, so I went to bed and cried as hard as possible until I was asleep.


	2. Leaving

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. R&R :)_

** Chapter 2: Leaving**

On the next morning, I almost missed breakfast. I got to the kitchen breathing heavily because I ran as fast as I could to get there in time. Tom was already making his plate and he barely looked at me when I took my seat. The eggs and the bacon smelled delicious, so I didn't waste any more time and decided that I would talk to him after we ate. We didn't spoke to each other and once he was finished, Tom got up, thanked the boggart and left the kitchen. I knew I had said stupid things the night before. I was upset, angry and I got to the conclusion that the fact I was powerless was playing with my head and with my feelings because as soon as Tom left, I started to cry like there was no tomorrow.

I finished my breakfast into sobs and went after Tom. I owed him an apology after all. I found him on the bench he used to have classes with Old Gregory. I got closer and stood behind the bench.

"Tom," I managed to say between my sobs. "I'm sorry. I really am. Please, forgive me."

"I forgive you, Alice. I always do, don't I? But I need to know what's going on," he said getting up and turning to me. "Don't say it's nothing. I know it's not. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You are sick, Alice. Nobody gets this pale and thin in a matter of days. I'm calling the local doctor."

"I know I'm sick, but I don't feel pain or nothing. You don't have to call a doctor. I know a witch that lives nearby and she told me she was going to help me," I said thinking about Mary's aunt, Lorena.

"No, absolutely not. I don't want you near any witch. We've been through too much this past month and you are not in condition of dealing with witches or the dark so soon," Tom looked away.

"She's probably the one who can cure me. A local doctor won't know what's wrong with me. I know she can help me, so I'm talking to her even if you don't want me to," I stated.

"No! I'll figure out another solution. Maybe Meg can help you. I'll write to Mr. Gregory. I don't want you in danger again," he got closer to me and his eyes showed how angry he was with me.

I felt, suddenly, mad at him. He couldn't interfere in my life this way and make decisions for me. I knew that Lorena could help me. I could see that arguing with Tom and trying to make him see that Lorena was a benevolent witch was just a waste of time, but I was still mad at him. _Damn you, hormones, _I thought and before I realized what I was doing, I started screaming stupid things and crying again.

"What's wrong with you? Don't you trust me anymore? Don't you want me to get better? Do you want me to die?"

Tom was about to say something, when the spook's bell rang. Tom hesitated a little, he didn't know what to do and I ran out of patience.

"Go! I don't care. Not anymore. Your duty is to the County. Isn't that what Old Gregory used to say?" I turned around and left.

I went to my room and saw Tom leaving the house. I lay in my bed and crying, I thought about what was happening. I was feeling useless and I was making Tom miserable by yelling at him like that. After a little more than an hour and a half I made my decision. I was useless in that house and I would only help if I got my power back. I got my things on a bag and left my room. Before I headed to the door, I left a small note to Tom, telling him not to worry and that I was leaving to make our lives better. Finally, I left the house.

I decided to go to Lorena's house. Even if I couldn't spend the night, she would, at least, let me stay for the afternoon and I would have time to think about somewhere else to go.

I passed through the village and walked on the road until I reached the house. Mary opened the door and she seemed pretty happy to see me. I followed her to the living room, where Jordan was compulsively writing a letter.

We sat on the couch and I told Mary that I left Tom and his house and that I needed her aunt's help.

"Well, Aunt Lorena isn't here now, but when she gets home we can talk to her. As for staying here, I can't say for sure, but I think Aunt Lorena wouldn't mind. What do you think, Jordan?" Mary said at last.

"I think she can stay in that second bed on your room. Mom was going to throw it away, but I think it's best to wait for her," Jordan said without looking from the paper.  
>"Thank you. So, Mary, what did you want to talk to me? You said it was about Jason," I replied.<p>

"Are you going to tell her about the ghost?" Jordan asked sarcastically.

"Shut up, Jordan. Just keep writing those stupid love letters," Mary snapped angrily.

"These are not love letters! You know nothing," he got up and left the room.

"Don't worry about him. He thinks he is in love with some girl from the village. So, I'm going to tell you, but please don't freak out," Mary said and I nodded. "I don't know how or when it happened but a few days ago, Jordan and I found a ghost surrounding the house. It never entered here, though. On the third day, I decided to talk with him. Make him go away."

"You knew Tom and I lived around here, didn't you? Why haven't you called him?" I asked

"I know that's what I should've done. But I like to solve problems on my own. I talked to the ghost. It's a man, not much older than us. He was killed as a Fiend's sacrifice and he's looking for his brother. It took me some time before I could make the connection between the name to the person. Do you see where this is going, Alice?"

"Yes, you mean that the ghost is Jason. Tom's brother," I said in shock.

Mary nodded and we didn't talk much after that. I was still in shock, but for the rest of the day I helped Mary around the house. Then, finally, her aunt got home and let me stay with them. I just needed to tell her my problem, but having somewhere to stay was already good enough and I didn't want to cause problems.


	3. Confessions

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. R&R :)_

**Chapter 3: Confessions**

On the next day, I didn't get any chance to talk to Lorena alone. So, I decided that there was no problem if Mary knew. Finally, my chance came after dinner, when we were left alone in the kitchen.

"I don't want to be a bother Lorena, but I have a problem and I think you may be the only person that can help me with it," I said shyly.

Lorena and Mary stared at me strangely, but they seemed just curious.

"Sure, Alice, what's wrong?" Lorena asked and led us to the table again.

We all sat down and I took a deep breath before I start to tell them everything that happened in Little Wismming. I told slowly the whole story, why I looked so pale and ill and why I ran from Tom's house. They listened to me carefully and didn't interrupt me not even once. It was very weird to have so much attention.

"I've never heard about any witch that lost her powers, but it really seems that this was Fiend's revenge for you, Alice. I'm sure he wouldn't just disappear," Lorena said after I finished it.

"Yes, that's why I need your help. I don't know what to do, I'm desperate. However, Mary mentioned that you are a witch from Pendle, so I thought you might know something or someone that has some knowledge about it," I replied.

"I am a Malkin indeed. Actually, my whole family is from the Malkin Clan, so is Mary. Unfortunately, I don't have the information you, but I know some people that can get it for me. The best thing you've done was to leave the spook's house. Witches are not meant to be friends with them, it's not natural. You would be an easy prey for him. Here will be more protected," she said and I got mad at her.

She didn't know Tom or my relationship with him, but she was my only hope and I didn't want her to throw me out of her house, so I didn't say anything in response.

"As we are already confessing our secrets, I would like to say something," Mary suddenly said.

Lorena and I didn't reply, so she took our silence as a sign to continue talking.

"Since I left my dad's house, I couldn't help, but to worry, so I've been watching him through mirrors. Just to make sure he's alright. He's pretty mad at me, because I left. I never saw him so angry. My dad destroyed almost the whole house in anger. He wrote a letter to a friend telling him that he was after me, and two days later, his friend showed up with silver chains, salt and iron," Mary started crying. "I think he is trying to kill me."

Lorena got closer to Mary, who was already in sobs, and hugged her.

"That's exactly what I feared," Lorena said at last. "You dad probably found out you're living with me. I'm sorry Mary, but I think you theory is right. You dad is coming to kill, not only you, but me too. He has been holding too much anger in his heart."

"Why? Why is he acting like this?" Mary asked. "What do you mean with holding hate in his heart? My dad is not evil. He belongs to the light," Mary said more calm.

"I know he belongs to the light and that's the problem, Mary. He doesn't just belong to the light, he is fighting the dark. I'm afraid it's time for you to know the truth," Lorena said looking to her own hands.

"Truth? What truth?" Mary asked desperate.

"I think that what your aunt is trying to tell you is that you dad was and probably still is a witch hunter," I said, feeling the fear running through my body.

"Alice is right, Mary. However this is not all. I can tell you the whole story, but only if you want me to," Lorena said and Mary nodded. "Okay. I just want you to stay calm and listen to me carefully. It all started 20 years ago. Your dad, Edward, went to Pendle with a friend, who I don't recall the name. Your dad was a witch hunter and his friend was a Spook. They were in Pendle to kill some witches that were making a big mess around the county. My sister, Joan, Mary's mom, helped Edward to go after the witches, but his friend didn't approve her help and he told Edward that my sister was fooling him and that they couldn't trust any witch. Edward got pretty mad at his friend and they had a huge fight because Edward and Joan were in love. The friend fought the Pendle witches on his own and left the town right after it. However, Edward stayed to be with Joan. I was the only one who knew they were seeing each other, because my family wanted my sister to marry another man. After almost four months, Joan got pregnant and my parents couldn't find out, so they just ran away. They went to Ireland and Mary was born there. A year later, they came back and went with Mary to Little Wismming. But my dad, my brothers and some of my cousins already knew what had happened and where they were living. One night, then, they set my sister's house on fire. Joan tried to save her daughter with spells, but she was trapped by the fire. Edward got Mary safe, but when he went back to the house to get my sister, it was already too late. She was dead. At that time I was already married and Jordan was 6 months old. I let Edward and Mary live with us, but he couldn't bear looking at me because I looked like my sister. So one day, the tension in the house was so huge that my husband threw him out. They got into a fight and Edward pushed my husband to floor, he hit his head in a rock so hard that he died. That day Edward left with Mary swearing revenge to every witch that crossed his way."

"Wow, that's probably why he is so mad at me. I left him and I'm a witch. Does this mean that my own father wants me dead?" Mary asked still crying and in shock.

"I'm sorry dear, but I honestly think that he wants all of us dead." Lorena said hugging Mary.

"Do you think if I talk to him he will give up this madness?" Mary asked after a while.

"We could try that, but if he decides to go on with this, I'll call for help," Lorena replied and turned to me "Don't worry, Alice we'll find a way to help you too, I need you alive to do that, so I guess Edward is our biggest problem now."

"I'm fine and I will help in any way I can. I don't to be a bother," I said.

"You're not a bother and you can stay as long as you need to," Lorena smiled at me.

I thanked her and we all went to our bed. My head was overwhelmed with so much new information. Edward was a witch hunter and without my power, he would kill me in a blink of an eye. That night, I barely slept thinking about it and about Tom. I was already missing him and my old life, but I couldn't risk his life in my new condition.


	4. Talking to the Dead

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. R&R :)_

**Chapter 4: Talking to the Dead.**

After our talk, a few days passed and I spent them reading big old books, but I didn't find any possible answer to my problem. Mary was trying to help me, but I could see she was worried, so she wasn't actually helping much.

When I finished the sixth book, I decided to take a walk. All that reading was giving me a headache. I went to one of the hills that stayed around Chipenden far from Tom's house, but somewhere I still could see the village.

I stayed there for a couple of hours, when I heard the trees around me moving and there were voices coming in my direction. Quickly, I hid behind a tree and waited for the people to pass. To my surprise, it was Old Gregory and Tom. That moment was when I noticed I couldn't smell anything far from me like I used to, but thankfully my hearing was still working. The two men stopped and Old Gregory put one of his hands on Tom's shoulder

"I've always told you, lad, she was only going to bring you trouble. I know it's our job to fight the dark, but that girl brought the dark too close to you. I couldn't be happier to know she's not living with you anymore."

"I'm sorry Mr. Gregory. I know you're somehow correct, but I care about Alice and I miss her a lot," Tom said.

"I know that, but as I told you already, she brought you trouble, even when she wasn't around. You must stop worrying about her and start thinking what to do," Old Gregory replied harshly.

"I thought you had figured it out. You said we're going to help your friend, sir," Tom said.

Old Gregory looked away and started to walk again.

"We are, but I'm not sure how much is worth the risk. Come on, lad, let's get going. I'm hungry and I want a hot meal on the table when we get home."

Tom followed him and they both disappeared into the trees. I came out of the tree and just stood there thinking. If my intuition was correct, Old Gregory was Mary's father friend, the spook. But by that time, he had already met Meg. What a hypocrite! He argued with his friend because of a witch and he was in love with a feral lamia. And from what I heard him saying, the only friend he could help in Chipenden was Edward, which meant that Tom was going to help him to hunt witches, more specifically, Mary and her aunt! I shook my head and got back to Lorena's house.

As I got nearer, the silence grew. Everything was too quiet. My common sense told me something was wrong and the worst thought got my mind. Edward had already got to the house. Mary and her aunt were kidnapped. Or worse, they could be dead and if I showed up, I would be the next victim. Suddenly, I heard a noise right behind me and I did the first thing my instinct told me to do, I ran. However, I wasn't at my best shape, so I couldn't go much far and the attacker got to me easily. In less than two minutes, I felt someone grabbing me by the waist and I fell to the ground bringing my attacker with me.

"Hey! Calm down! Why did you run?" I heard a familiar voice saying.

I got up and looked at the person talking to me.

"Jordan! Why did you do that? You scared the hell out of me," I said angry.

"I just went after you. You were the one who decided to run suddenly. I thought something had happened," he explained.

"Well, I thought Mary's dad had got the house. I thought I was going his next victim," I said.

"My mom and Mary left about an hour ago. I was alone. Just calm down and let's get back to the house," he replied and I agreed.

We got back to the house in silence and Jordan went straight to his room. However, I saw some weird movement on the back of the house, so I follow it. Behind of an apple tree, a strange light was turning into a ghost. As I got nearer, I saw Jason's ghost smiling at me.

"Hi, Alice," he said.

"Jason! How are you?" I asked.

"I don't know. Being dead is not as fun as I thought it would be."

"Why did you let Mab do all those things with you? We could've saved you," I said.

"Mab was controlling me. There was nothing I could've done."

"You could've resisted it," I said sitting underneath the tree.

"I tried," he sat next to me, "I swear I did."

"Well, it's not worth discussing this all over again," I looked at him.

"Agreed. So, how have you been? You look terrible."

"Thanks, I know how I look, okay? There's no need to talk about this," I said angry. "I look weak and pathetic. Now that we've discussed that, we can go to the next topic."

"You don't look pathetic, just weak, because you're ill. It's normal to look bad when you're sick," he said.

"Whatever. So, why didn't you passed to the other side?" I asked.

"I still have business here."

"Do you know what kind of business? Maybe I can help you."

"I'm not sure if you can help me. I have to make things right with my brother. I messed everything up for him, didn't I?" he looked at me.

"Not everything, just most of it," I said grinning. "However, I don't know if I'll be helpful. I'm not talking to Tom right now."

"I know. I heard your story. I was hoping you could tell Tom to meet me. I want to get out of here. The oldest witch doesn't like me here. She tried to make me go away, so I decided to disappear for a few days not to bother her."

"Why don't you just appear to Tom? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Well…" Jason started, but he was interrupted by someone screaming my name.

"Alice! Jordan!" Mary's voice got closer.

I got up and ran to her. She had a horror look on her face and when she got to me she started to talk so fast that I couldn't understand a word she said. In a matter of seconds, Lorena showed up. She seemed scared too.

"What happened?" I asked.

"They are already here. We are dead!" Lorena replied.


	5. The Truth

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. R&R :)_

**_C_hapter 5: The Truth**

"Come on! We need to go," Lorena called us.

Jordan was by my side to make sure I was catching up with them as we were running away to some place I had no idea where. Mary was a few feet away in front of us with her aunt. We were basically running, but, because of me, we couldn't go so fast. The sky was already dark, but the clouds were hiding the stars and the moon making it hard to follow Mary and Lorena if they were too far from us.

We stopped for a while for me to rest. Mary helped Jordan to light up a campfire. We all sat around it in silence.

"If we continue like this, they'll get us by tomorrow," Lorena said.

"I'm sorry! You can go on without me. Just tell where you are hiding so I can meet you there later," I said feeling guilty.

"There must be another way out," Jordan said taking my side for some unknown reason.

"If I could only talk to Tom. Maybe, he could change Old Gregory's stubborn mind," I muttered to myself.

"What did you say?" Mary asked and I told them my suspicions about Old Gregory being Edward's friend on Lorena's story.

"Maybe you're right, but it's not worth going back by now," Lorena said with no emotion on her voice and she got up. "We need to go."

She put out the fire and the rest of us got up too. Mary followed her aunt, but I stayed behind with Jordan.

"I'm going back," I stated.

"What? No!" he replied.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to talk to Tom and even if they catch me, I have nothing to lose," I said.

"My mom can help you. Let's go, Alice."

"No! Tom will help me. I'm sure," I said walking away.

Jordan stayed behind and I headed back to Chipenden. We hadn't gone far, so I didn't have to walk so much. Finally, I got to Tom's house. The front gate opened itself as usual and I surrounded the house until I was below Tom's window. I grabbed a small stone on the floor and threw it on his window. I waited a couple of minutes and repeated the act, when finally Tom showed up on his window. He saw me and his face lit up. Then he disappeared into the room again. In a few minutes, he was already running up to me and hugging me. Without a word, he led me to the western garden until we were in front of the bench he used to have classes with Old Gregory. We just stood there in silence for a while and I couldn't find anything to say, but Tom just gave me a passionate kiss and hugged me. Tears started to roll down my face and when we let go, he wiped them away.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"Because I didn't know I had missed you that much," I replied.

"What are you doing here? Why did you leave? I was worried about you," he said.

I took a deep breath and we both sat on the bench.

"I need your help, Tom. You can't help Old Gregory or his friend. They're trying to kill innocent people. These people don't deserve to die," I said.

"What? How do you know Mr. Gregory is here? Alice, what are you not telling me?"  
>"I saw you both going to the house and I've been living with Mary and her aunt. They are the victims of this madness!"<p>

"Wait. Mary? From Little Wismming?"

"Yes! Her father is Old Gregory's friend, Edward. He wants to kill Mary and her aunt, Lorena. I'm only in the middle of this mess because Lorena was going to cure me. Or that's what I thought."

"Alice, I'm still confused. Does this witch know what's wrong with you?" Tom asked.

"Actually, I always knew what was wrong with me," I looked down, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Alice, stop the mystery. What's wrong with you? Is there anything that I can do to help you?"

"No, there is nothing you can do. Tom," I looked into his eyes. "I'm powerless. I'm not a witch anymore. When Fiend died, he took away all my power. I'm pale like this because my body doesn't have enough energy to make me healthy."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" he was in shock.

"I'm sorry," I said into sobs. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid that you didn't want me anymore because I'm useless now, Tom. I thought you would throw me out of the house. I was scared. I was feeling useless and pathetic."

"I can't believe you thought all those things about me! I'm not keeping you with me because of your power, because I want your help to fight the dark. I'm letting you stay because I want you near me. You're my best friend and I love you too damn much. What kind of person do you think I am? Did you honestly believe all of that?"

"I'm sorry, okay? I should've never thought things like that, but I was scared and my emotions were twisted, I didn't know what to do. I was getting mad at you over nothing. I was feeling bad and I was making you sad. I've never felt so useless my whole life, Tom! Please, forgive me," I begged him.

"I forgive you, Alice, I do. But you should've trusted me. I could've protected you. You would've been safer here," he got up.

"Tom, I know that you would've taken care of me, but I didn't want to cause you any trouble. Now, I'm back and we need to stop Edward. He's going to kill innocent people," I looked at him but he had his back turned in my direction.

"I'm sorry, Alice. There's nothing I can do about this. Mr. Gregory already made his decision and I was dragged to this situation."

"Listen to me!" I got up and made him face me "You need to stand up for your beliefs, even if you have to confront Old Gregory. You're not a little boy anymore."

"Alice! I know what they're doing is wrong, but it's absolutely impossible to change Mr. Gregory's mind. I tried. I swear to you, I did. But he's stubborn, you know that! I don't have a clue about what happened between him and his friend, but he really needs to help him," he said and I heard a noise behind me.

Before I could understand what was happening, someone covered my mouth with a towel cloth filled with some kind of drug that within a few minutes made me fell unconscious.


	6. Prisoners

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. R&R :)_

_ **C**_**hapter 6: Prisoners**

I woke up in a warm and soft bed. It was a very strange scenario. I thought I would be in a cell or something like that and not on a comfortable bed. I looked at the small window on the top of the wall and by the light coming out of it, it was probably a bit after the sun rise. I had spent the night in the room.

I had never seen that room in my life and if I was right, it was located at Tom's house. However, I didn't think Tom knew about its existence. There were three beds on the room, a small window and a wood table for four people. Nothing more. I got up from one of the beds and analyzed the room, when I heard a noise behind the door that was probably locked. I approached it and listened carefully. Two people were coming to the room's direction for sure, they were talking.

"So, do you think she's awake?" I heard Tom's voice when they got closer.

"Don't worry about her, lad. You did a great job getting her attention so we could lock her up," Old Gregory said.

"Thank you, sir, but I don't think she will help."

"She will, lad. If she's smart as she says so, she will help. Just give her some time. Now, leave the tray with breakfast for her quickly. We got other things to do," Old Gregory said and I heard him leaving.

Before Tom opened the door, I took a few steps back and tried to take deep breaths to calm down, but I couldn't help it and soon my tears were rolling down my face. I couldn't believe Tom had betrayed me. He betrayed our friendship. He entered the room and closed the door. He looked at me and saw me crying. The first thing he tried to do was hug me, but I pushed him away.

"Stay away from me," I yelled crying and trying to get as far as I could from him.

"Alice! What's wrong?" he was confused.

"I heard you, okay? Why are you doing this? Did you forget everything we've been through? Why are you helping them?"

"No! You got it wrong, things are not like that! I promise. I'm going to save you. I'm just pretending to Mr. Gregory, but I'm not on his side. I've got a plan to save you, Alice! I swear. Don't be mad at me, but I had to prove to them I was by their side, trust me. I'm going to save you," he approached me.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because of all we've been through together. Because I love you, Alice," he said and I believed him.

I ran to his arms and hugged him. When we let go, he put his hands around my face and made me look at him.

"I'm going to save you. We'll be together again and everything will be back to normal," he said.

I nodded and kissed him. He left the room and told me to wait. I sat on the bed and tried to do something to make time pass faster. I ate my breakfast and slept. I woke up with the door opening. It was Mary helping Lorena to walk. She was half conscious, so I helped Mary to put her in a bed. We didn't say anything to each other. Mary just went to the other bed and slept there.

After a while, someone brought us food and Mary and Lorena woke up. We ate in silence and I only received angry looks from them. I sat on my bed and waited for something to happen.

"Why did you tell them where we were?" Lorena asked harshly.

"I didn't. It was a trap for me too," I said.

"Right!" she replied sarcastically. "Where is your little friend? Wasn't he going to help you?"

"You don't know him. He'll help us. I'm sure," I yelled at her.

"Alice, please, don't yell at her. She's been through a lot," Mary said trying to calm down her aunt, who was crying.

"Why should I? She's not being nice to me either and I've been through a lot too," I yelled again.

"It's your entire fault. They killed him because of you. My poor baby!" Lorena yelled and she started to cry even harder.

"What? What is she talking about?" I asked.

"Jordan. When my father and his friend found us, my father killed Jordan in front of her. He wanted her to suffer."

I swallowed all words I was about to say and sat on the bed staring at wall. For the rest of the day, I didn't say anything else. I just sat there staring at the white wall. I didn't know what to say or what to do. I fell asleep again, but my dreams were haunted with nightmares about Tom. On the first one, he was the one killing Jordan, and then he was laughing at something that seemed to be my dead body. I woke up breathing heavily, so I sat on the bed and looked around. Mary and Lorena were sleeping and sitting in one of the chairs, Jason's ghost was staring me. I got up and sat next to him.

"Don't let your dreams compromise your judgment," he said.

"How do you know what I'm dreaming?" I asked.

"I'm a ghost. I have my ways," he grinned.

"Did you talk to Tom?"

"No," he looked away.

"Why?"

"I don't know what to say. I don't think an apology will be enough. I think he hates me."

"I see, but I don't think he hates you. He's just upset. Tom's a good man. He will forgive you. I'm sure," I said.

"At least you're not thinking he's a traitor anymore, Alice."

"I didn't think that! I'm just trying to understand what kind of game Tom is playing. I'm confused and that's it."

"If you're saying so,"

There was a knock on the door and Jason vanished. Tom, Old Gregory and another man, that I assumed to be Edward, walked in the room and tied our hands behind our back. They led us to an unknown path to me and we got to an open field where a big pile of wood was perfectly tied. It was when I realized that they were going to burn us alive.


	7. Death

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. Read and review it_

**Chapter 7: Death**

As soon as Mary saw the pile of wood she started to cry. She kneeled in front of her father crying even harder.

"Please, daddy, don't do this! I'm your daughter. I'm your own blood. Are you really going to kill me?" She yelled.

Edward just looked at her with a disgusted look.

"You may have my blood, but it's contaminated with dirty blood. You must die, Mary. It's the only way to save you," he said.

By my side, Lorena was muttering something. At first, I thought she was praying, but then I realized she was casting a spell, but I couldn't tell which one it was.

All three of us were tied and locked on top of the pile, but before they lit the fire, Old Gregory turned to Edward.

"I'm leaving. I don't want to see this atrocity. I've done my part and I do not agree with this. My debt to you was paid."

"Well, I'm very thankful for your help and the boy was pretty useful too. We no longer owe anything to each other. If leaving is your wish, then that is what you shall do," Edward replied.

Old Gregory left and Tom followed suit saying something to him. I wished I knew what they were talking about. I hoped they had a plan to save us and that Tom was telling me the truth, that he had a plan to save me. Edward waited them to leave and turned to us.

"Now, let the show begin. I hope you burn in hell." He said and laughed maliciously.

"If we go, you'll come with us," Lorena replied and Edward ignored her.

"What do you mean with that?" Mary asked worried.

Edward came closer and lit the fire. He stepped back and stood a few feet away to watch.

"I mean that I put a spell on him. If I die, he dies too." Lorena whispered to Mary.

The fire started to spread and soon it had passed our feet and the flames were already consuming our legs. I had never felt so much pain. I would rather have someone ripping my heart off, at least the pain wouldn't last so much. After what it seemed like an eternity, Jason's ghost appeared to me.

"Hang on, Alice. Tom is coming to save you. Mr. Gregory is with him. Just hang on a little bit longer," he said and disappeared before I could answer.

However, the pain had already taken control of my body and I was trying my best not to scream. My body was on the edge. I couldn't take it anymore and a few seconds later, everything went dark and I didn't feel pain anymore.

I woke up in a cold floor. My legs didn't hurt anymore. It felt like everything was normal again. I got up and looked around. I was in some kind of cave and there was a light coming from an exit. I followed it and left the cold cave. I ended up in a horrible place. It was a huge valley with big black mountains around. There was a path in front of me that led to an iron castle. There was an abysm on each side of the path. They weren't too deep, so I could see what was happening down there. On the right abysm, there were people being tortured by invisible forces. On the left one, there were very skinny and dirty people working as slaves, I tried not look to either side. I held my head up and only looked at the path in front of me.

The door of the castle opened itself as I got near it. I entered in a big hall with loads of weird pictures,

"He's waiting for you," a deep voice spoke out of nowhere.

I continued to walk through the hall, until I reached another door. I opened it and entered an open field. It looked like a garden. There were bushes with black roses and there was a man having tea in the middle of the garden. I got closer to him.

"Sit Alice, have some tea." The man looked at me with a very familiar smile.

"Stefan! Where the hell am I? What happened? Is this a dream?" I asked and he got up.

"First, no, this isn't a dream. This is your reality now. As for your second question, there's only one simple answer. You died, Alice. And I think you know where you are," he said.

"Am I in hell?" I asked in shock.

"Hell, underworld, purgatory, Hades… Whatever you want to call it. I just call it home. Daddy left it to me as his last will with the responsibility to rule it, but I'm having fun for now. It's quite nice to have slaves." he answered sarcastically.

"Did I really die?" I asked.

"Yes, you were too weak to resist to the fire. Lorena and Mary died too, but they didn't come down. They went straight up, if you know what I mean. Tom tried to save you, but it was already too late. John Gregory helped him. He confronted Edward. But Lorena had casted a spell on him. A bonding spell. When Lorena died, Edward died too. Now, he must be in the torturing session. He was doomed for 500 years of slavery and punishment," Stefan explained,

"Why haven't I been judged yet?" I asked.

"Because you're Fiend's daughter. You're my sister. You have privileges here and that's why I want to propose you something."

"What do you want?"

"I'm having fun down here and I need someone I can trust walking in the world above us. If you make a pact with me, I can give you your power and your life back. You'll be able to be with Tom again. But you'll have to do some favors for me, of course."

"It seems a nice proposal, but I can't take it," I said and there was a noise behind us.

We turned to the door and saw Jason standing in front of us, breathing heavily.


	8. Jason's redemption

_Author's Note: Here's the sequel I promised. This story is dedicated to my friend LuMezenga who helped me with some details of the story. Again, I do not own anything, all those rights go straight to Joseph Delaney. Hope you like it. R&R :)_

**Chapter 8: Jason's redemption**

"Alice! Don't do it!" Jason screamed.

"Jason! What are you doing here?"

"Great," Stefan rolled his eyes annoyed. "Who let you in?"

"It doesn't matter," Jason replied walking towards me. "Alice, I talked to Tom and he forgave me. I made the passage, but I ended up here. Now, I think I know what I have to do."

"Jason, what are you talking about?" I asked him.

"Stefan, I give you my soul in exchange of Alice's life and power," he said.

"What? No!" I replied.

"What would I get back from you? Your soul isn't that worthy," Stefan rolled his eyes again.

"Your father lived in my body for a few days. Let's say I've learned some of his tricks, for example, how to get to the world of the living."

"Interesting. Your proposal is better than I thought. You have a deal," Stefan agreed.

"Jason, no!" I screamed, but he had already shook Stefan's hand.

Stefan muttered something in my direction and a blue light started to come out of my chest. Suddenly, I was floating into the gray sky.

"Jason! What have you done?" I screamed.

"I freed you and saved my soul," he appeared next to me. We were going up together.

"How?" I was confused.

"When I offered my soul for your life, I paid my debt to you and to Tom. I won't have to stay in hell. Stefan won't get anything. Look," he pointed to the ground where Stefan was only a small point in the middle of the garden. "He's probably cursing us right now. Anyway, he won't be able to get to you or to Tom, don't worry."

"What will happen to you?"

"I'll rest in peace. I don't want to see you worrying about me, Alice. Just close your eyes, you're almost back," he smiled to me.

I did as he said and I stopped feeling my body. The next thing I felt was the rain wetting my clothes. I heard sobs and slowly I opened my eyes.

"Alice?" Tom said when he saw me opening my eyes "Oh my God! You're alive!"

He leaned down and hugged me. I looked at him when we let go. He was wet because of the rain and he was crying too.

"Hi, Tom," I smiled.

"I'm sorry! I should've come faster, but I don't understand. I could swear you were dead," he said still crying.

Old Gregory got closer and looked deeply at me lying on Tom's lap.

"Let's go back the house. I'm going to wait for the rain to stop, so I can go home," he said and left.

I sat up and looked at my legs. They were just dirty because of the mud, there were no burn marks. It was like I've never stood on the fire.

"Can you walk?" Tom asked me.

"I don't know," I replied.

He helped me to get up. I could walk, but I was feeling tired, so Tom picked me up and carried me to the house bridal-style. We didn't talk, Tom was focused and I didn't know what to say.

We got to the house and Tom put me on the couch in front of Old Gregory. He seemed uneasy.

"What happened to you, girl?" he asked.

"Is Edward really dead?" I asked.

"He turned to ashes right in front of my eyes," Tom answered. Stefan was telling the truth.

"The older witch put a spell on him. I heard her, but didn't stop her. He needed to die. I think he was possessed," Old Gregory pointed out.

"He was possessed by wrath. Too many bad things happened to him. He was hunted by his past," I said.

"We got back to the fire to save you all, but it was already too late. Edward turned to ashes while I was trying to untie you," Tom replied.

"But I don't understand how you got back to life," Old Gregory stared at me.

"I went to hell. I died. Stefan is the one ruling the underworld now. He wanted me to help him. He was going to give me my life and power back if I helped him here, because he doesn't know how to get to the surface, like Fiend did. However, Jason showed up after making the passage and offered his soul in exchange of my life and powers. Stefan accepted the deal. I got back to life and Jason's soul was saved. His last act was redeemer, so he paid for his mistakes. He went to heaven, I guess. I don't know exactly. I just know that he fooled Stefan and I got my life back," I said.

"So, you've talked to my brother," Tom said.

"Yes, he appeared to me a few days ago. He wanted to talk to you, but he didn't know what to say."

"We didn't talk much. He appeared right after we left the fire and right after you died. I forgave him and I'm glad he's ok now. I hope he rests in peace."

"He will, Tom. Don't worry," I smiled.

Old Gregory didn't say anything else. We ate lunch made by the boggart and right after it, Old Gregory left without saying a word to us. Neither Tom or I asked why he did what he did. Old Gregory didn't seem willing to talk about it. Tom was happy to be with me again and I was more than happy to have my life back. I spent the rest of the day with Tom, trying to recover all the time we've wasted apart.

After that day, I got back to Tom's house. I didn't have any bruises or mark on my legs because of the fire and I could walk perfectly. I got back my power and it was like I've never looked weak and pale. Life was great as it should be. We were happy together and of course, still dealing with the dark here and there as usual.

One month later, I was watching the sunset on the west garden waiting for Tom to come home from work. When he got back, he met me at the bench. He sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, Tom," I replied.

He smiled and kissed me passionately.

"So everything is ok," he said.

"Everything is ok," I repeated and laid my head on his shoulder.

However, we didn't have time to enjoy some time together, because a familiar noise just ruined the moment. It was the Spook's bell ringing and bringing trouble once more.


End file.
